The Antoine and Bunnie Retrospective - 50

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” Endgame IV (Director’s Cut) - Sonic Super Special #6

Up til now I’ve been going pretty much in order of release. However the sixth issue of the Sonic Super Special series is just a retelling of StH #50. Therefore, it made the most sense to cover it now instead of later.  

As an extended cut; SSS #6 attempts to add back in missing subplots, flesh out some scenes, and explain some of the more confusing plot points. Including, giving Bunnie and Antoine’s story line more coverage.

 For starters, we actually see how they escaped from Downunda and how they got to Robotnik’s headquarters this time. 

We also get more of an explanation as to what Robotnik’s ultimate weapon is and what it’s capable of doing. 

However, this scene highlights one of the major faults behind this remastered addition. Too much wordy exposition and not enough showing the actual events. For all its faults, the original had great pacing and momentum. While this version does better at explaining some of the more confusing plot points of the original; it doesn’t know how to pace these explanations out and show us the essentials.
       

For example, this scene didn’t need to be three panels of info dump. In another added scene we saw the actual weapon in action. We the audience already know what it does. So therefore, Bunnie and Ant just needed a quick one or two panel recap. Have them turn on the video of the test footage. Cut to their horrified faces and then bam! Your done.

That is all you need to get the information across. And it would have freed up more page space to show the events that still get skipped over in this version. Like how they know where to get that bomb they use.

It also makes showing this page again unnecessary. 

 So, later we get an extended version of the scene where our fav couple runs into Sonic.  

Just to reiterate, they already have the bomb with little explanation of how they came by it. For all of this issue’s re-edits and expansions; it still has plot holes!

Then we get this scene which is completely unnecessary but uber cute! So I give it a pass. 

*Squee!!!* They’ve started to call each other pet names! (Granted that might be because Penders is going back and rewriting their dialogue after having written them as a couple for so long…. but I don’t care! It makes me happy!)

We then get a new version of the final battle. This time, one that features Antoine and Bunnie.    

To be honest, I like this version of the fight better than the original. Not just because it features my fav characters but, because it’s simply less confusing. Like the original might have had better pacing, but you understood little of the actual details behind Sonic and Robotnik’s battle. All you knew was that they were out to kill one another. Here there’s more reason for them to try and kill one another.

Also, since we now see Bunnie and Ant set the bomb off this time around, the white out effect of the annihilator going off now makes more sense. 

This is just a cool image and I really like it. That’s all.

So Endgame ends with Dr. Quack giving a long exposition dump, Sally being revived, Robotnik being dead and gone for good, and our heroes celebrating their long awaited victory.   

If that kiss on the cheek don’t melt your heart; I don’t know what will. 

We’re still not fully done with this story; but we’ll come back to it after my next 25 recap.